Kings finish off St. Louis 2-1

The Los Angeles Kings celebrate their team's 2-1 win against the St. Louis Blues.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dustin Penner scored the tiebreaking goal in the final second of the second period, and the Los Angeles Kings advanced to the second round with a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 on Friday night.

Jonathan Quick made 21 saves and Drew Doughty scored his first goal of the postseason for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who won four straight to finish off fourth-seeded St. Louis.

Penner put the Kings ahead with his latest big playoff goal, ripping a slap shot from just inside the blue line past Brian Elliott right before time expired.

Elliott stopped 14 shots and Chris Porter scored his first career playoff goal for the Blues, who were eliminated by Los Angeles for the second straight season, this time despite taking a 2-0 series lead.

Los Angeles has won 10 straight games at Staples Center since March, and its sellout crowd waved white towels and roared as the Kings became the first Stanley Cup champion in three years to advance to the second round.

Every game in this bitter, physical series was decided by one goal, and Quick allowed just 10 goals in the six-game series. The Blues won the first two at home, but the Kings responded with four straight gritty victories, winning a playoff series after trailing 0-2 for just the second time in franchise history.

The defending champs won’t know who they’ll face next until Anaheim and Detroit finish their series Sunday night. If the second-seeded Ducks win, Southern California’s two NHL teams will meet in the playoffs for the first time.

The Kings took a first-period lead on Doughty’s goal, but St. Louis largely controlled the next 30 minutes and seemed poised to head into the third with momentum — until Penner skated over the blue line and fired a rocket of a shot that ramped off St. Louis defenseman Roman Polak’s stick and beat Elliott for his second goal of the playoffs.

Penner returned to the Kings for a chance to defend his second Stanley Cup title, but fell out of favor with coach Darryl Sutter during the regular season, repeatedly sitting out as a healthy scratch. Los Angeles is well aware of Penner’s playoff value, however: He scored the overtime goal that ended the Western Conference finals in Phoenix last season.

Quick took it from there, showing off his Conn Smythe Trophy form while stopping every shot in the third period.